Hughes Nancy S. - The best of Relish cookbook: celebrating Americas love of food

Contents EAT UP Its hard to put together a book composed of your bests because along the way new bests keep presenting themselves. Thank heavens for publishers and deadlines because, left to our own devices, we would still be adding recipes to the book. Speaking of bests, I consider Relish my own personal best. Launched in February 2006, it was the first food magazine to be distributed in newspapers nationally. Fast-forward three years to 2009, and Relish is in more than 500 newspapers and reaches 15 million readers. Thats 15 million folks we get to educate, entertain and get excited about food.

People love to eat, but they love to talk about eating even more. Im sure that you, just like me, have found yourself in the midst of lunch, talking about dinner. Everyone has a food storywhether its a special cake you make for your childs birthday or a traditional Sunday family supper or a special pasta dish you concocted. And thats what Relish is about: celebrating and sharing food memories as well as creating new ones. We spotlight ordinary folks with extraordinary food storiesyour neighbors applesauce cookies, a Boston chefs roast chicken, a 92-year-old gardener and her homegrown tomatoes. We celebrate folks who are making an impact on what and how we eat: the goat farmer and cheesemaker in Vermont, the olive oil maker in California.

We applaud those making a difference, like the advocate improving school lunches, the chef teaching kids about healthy cooking, the volunteer feeding the homeless. In addition, we report on new foods youll find in your supermarket and new ways to cook old ones. Our goal and hope is that the recipes in this book, a compilation of our best, will inspire you to head to the kitchen. Memories and traditions are created from cooking, sharing and eating together. Good things happen around the table. Do you have a personal best food story? If so, we want to hear about it.

Send your recipe and story to editorial@relishmag.com. If you receive Relish in your local newspaper, bravo! If not, you can experience Americas most widely read food magazine online at www.relishmag.com. A friend of mine always says, Good food matters. Indeed, it does. JILL MELTON Editor, Relish Maple granola with cranberries and almonds This smoothie tastes like a Creamsicle in a glass. Kids use their fine motor skills, practice math and learn how to safely operate kitchen equipment when they make this nutritious breakfast or snack drink.

SERVES 2 1 cup fat-free milk 1 (6-ounce) container low-fat vanilla yogurt cup calcium-fortified frozen orange juice concentrate teaspoon vanilla extract 5 ice cubes Place all ingredients except ice cubes in a blender; process 15 seconds to combine. Add ice cubes and process 20 seconds to crush ice; serve immediately. PER SERVING: Calories 180; fat 1.5g; chol. 5mg; prot. 9g; carbs. 32g; fiber 1g; sodium 135mg To make this easy recipe even easier, measure the oil, swirl it around to coat the measuring cup, and add it to the saucepan.

Then measure the syrup in the same cup. It will pour out without sticking to the sides. SERVES 10 4 cups old-fashioned oats cup sliced almonds (about 2 ounces) cup canola oil cup maple syrup teaspoon ground cinnamon Cooking spray cup dried cranberries Preheat oven to 325F. Combine oats and almonds in a large bowl. Place oil, maple syrup and cinnamon in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat. Pour oil mixture over oat mixture; stir to combine.

Spread oat mixture evenly in a roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Stir in cranberries. PER SERVING: Calories 280; fat 13g; chol. 5g; carbs. 40g; fiber 4g; sodium 2mg For an easy Passover variation, substitute cup matzo meal for flour in the spinach nests and substitute brown rice, cooked barley or potato pancakes for the English muffins. 40g; fiber 4g; sodium 2mg For an easy Passover variation, substitute cup matzo meal for flour in the spinach nests and substitute brown rice, cooked barley or potato pancakes for the English muffins.

SERVES 8 SPINACH NESTS: Cooking spray 3 eggs cup all-purpose flour 1 pound small-curd cottage cheese 4 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry teaspoon salt Coarsely ground black pepper EGGS: 8 eggs 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Swiss or grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 4 English muffins, split and toasted cup thinly sliced red bell pepper (optional) cup vertically sliced onion (optional) Preheat oven to 350F. Coat a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. To prepare spinach nests, combine eggs, flour and cottage cheese; whisk well. Add spinach, salt and pepper; stir well to combine. (This can be done up to 2 days ahead). Press mixture into prepared dish.

Make 8 indentations with the back of a spoon (this is where the eggs will be placed). Bake 25 minutes. Remove pan from oven and, using a spoon, hollow the nests out deeper. Break an egg into each indentation. Bake 15 minutes or until whites are set. Sprinkle with cheese; bake an additional 1 minute.

Place 1 egg and spinach nest on each English muffin half. Garnish with red pepper and onion, if desired. PER SERVING: Calories 330; fat 14g; chol. 315mg; prot. 24g; carbs. 24g; fiber 3g; sodium 720mg Spanish for ranchers eggs, Huevos Rancheros consists of fried eggs on corn tortillas topped with salsa.

SERVES 4 5 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided cup chopped onion 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced 1 (14 -ounce) can diced tomatoes teaspoon sugar teaspoon salt teaspoon black pepper 4 corn tortillas 1 tablespoon butter 4 large eggs cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese Chopped fresh cilantro Heat 3 teaspoons oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and pepper; cook until onion is soft and starting to brown, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Cover; keep warm over very low heat. Preheat oven to 200F.

Brush tortillas on both sides with 2 teaspoons oil. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add tortillas one at a time; cook until golden brown in spots, 30 to 60 seconds on each side. Wrap in foil and place in oven to keep warm. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add eggs and fry until whites are partially set, about 1 minute.